Best Non-Home Brewed Beer

[gwood]

I live within 75 minutes of 80 breweries, rather hard to chose. If I had to settle on two brews, it would probably be Pelican's Doryman's Dark and Golden Valley's APA. Next two would be Hop Rod Rye and GVB's Angus Springs Brown.

I completely forgot about hop rod rye on my list. HAS to be one of my current favs.

 

[Baldy_Beer_Brewery]

Some of my favorites

Spaten Optimator: If I take up lagering it will be to brew Doppelbock styles
Wychwood Hobgoblin Ale
Boulevard Wheat: 'tis a good lawnmower/yardwork beer
Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout
Deschutes Black Butte Porter
New Belgium fat Tire
New Belgium Skinny Dip: What I should drink in the yard rather than Boulevard or Fat Tire

Guys at work have been saying I should try that Bud product with the Clamato juice but I'm thinking no.

 

[cclloyd]

This is kind of like the "what's your favorite band" question to me. I like a wide variety of beers depending on the situation and setting. Some consistent partners are:

Sam Adams Boston Lager
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Guinness - Pub Draft & Extra Stout
Yuengling Amber Lager
Franziskaner Hefeweizen
Red Hook Long Hammer IPA
Stella Artois
Julius Echter Hefeweizen
Warsteiner
Harpoon IPA

I think it also has to do with what is available in your geographic area. I have yet to find Magic Hat #9 in or near Tampa - I would drink that regularly if I could get it here. I always make a point when I travel to try local beers or beers that I can't get at home. The Duck-Rabbit and Highland Brewing beers in North Carolina are tasty too but they don't have distribution in this area.

 

[arturo7]

No particular order

Guinness
Anchor Steam
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Negra Modelo
Uerige
Sam Adams Boston Lager
Erdinger Hefewiezen
Dashenfranz Pilsner
Chimay Blue
Pacifico

 

[ArcaneXor]

Frueh Koelsch
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Hoegaarden Wit
Bass Pale Ale
Red Hook ESB
Schlafly Summer Koelsch

And there are moments when Miller Lite, Shiner Bock, Rolling Rock, etc are just fine for the occasion.

 

[MULE]

Dogfish 90min IPA
Dogfish 60min IPA
Smithwicks
Guiness
Bass Ale
Wild Goose IPA
Sam Adams Winter

 

[Ooompa Loompa]

In no particular order

Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
DFH 90 min IPA
Snake River Zonker Stout
Breckenridge Brewery Vanilla Porter
Lindamens Framboise
Left Hand Brewing Milk Stout
New Belgium 1554


I know there are others, but I can't seem to think of them at the moment.

 

[CGengo]

1. Harviestoun Old Engine Oil
2. Ornkey Skull Splitter
3. Mackeson Triple XXX Stout
4. Delirium Nocturnum
5. Chimay Première
6. Samuel Smith's Imperial Russian Stout
7. Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
8. Dogfish-Head 60 Minute IPA (or anything of their other brews)
9. Ommegang Hennepin (Saison) or Abbey Ale
10. Fransikaner Hefeweizen

Honestly, forget the numbering here. Put any one of these in front of me and I'll be a happy camper - but these are the ones I go back to time and time again. I'm also a fan of Avery's and Stoudt's beers in general. For supermarket stuff I like Smithwicks, Bass, and Stella. There are plenty of great comercially produced beers, you just need to know where to find them. Curious to see how my appreciation of these changes as I get into this hobby.

Cheers!

 

[slim chillingsworth]

i'm surprised so many people listed Grolsch, as i find it to be undrinkable corn-water, but to each his own. my top 20 from my ratebeer account:


1 Westvleteren Abt 12

2 Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Keizer

3 North Coast Old Stock Ale

4 Struise Pannepot

5 Ølfabrikken Porter

6 Dogfish Head World Wide Stout

7 Westvleteren Extra 8

8 North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

9 Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

10 Hair of the Dog Adam

11 Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

12 St. Bernardus Abt 12

13 Boerinneken

14 Flying Dog Wild Dog Barrel-Aged Gonzo

15 Struise Rosse

16 Allagash Four

17 Thomas Hardys Ale (vintage 2003 and later)

18 Gouden Carolus Triple

19 Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

20 Allagash Curieux

 

[slim chillingsworth]

sorry double post

 

[bosco_NJ]

random order:

1-Trappist Rochefort 10
2-Dogfish Head World Wide Stout
3-Stone Old Guardian
4-Greenflash Double IPA
5-Samichlaus '06
6-Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin
7-Brooklyn no.1
8-Victory Hop Wallop
9-Ramstein Winter Wheat
10-Troegs Mad Elf

 

[BrianP]

1. Fuller's ESB
2. Guiness Draught
3. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (or SNPA)
4. Anchor Steam
5. Chimay White
6. Wychwood Hobgoblin
7. Founder's Breakfast Stout
8. Bells Two-Hearted
9. Hacker Pschorr Weiss
10. Redhook Longhammer IPA

 

[cola]

leinenliugel sunset wheat has got to be the best beer i have ever tasted.

i highly recommend this

http://www.leinie.com/home.htm

 

[anderj]

leinenliugel sunset wheat has got to be the best beer i have ever tasted.

i highly recommend this

http://www.leinie.com/home.htm

hate to say it but my roommate brought some home, fruity pebbles, two cups in the secondary

 

[cola]

hate to say it but my roommate brought some home, fruity pebbles, two cups in the secondary

that is exactly why i like it... cause it tastes like fruity pebbles.

well as the cliche goes... "to each his own"

 

[thedailyaustin]

Worst has got to be Lost Lake. $1.49 for a 6 pack.

 

[CurtFlood]

1. Newcastle (from the tap)
2. Smithwicks
3. Young's Oatmeal Stout
4. Moose Drool
5. Leinie's Sunset Wheat
6. Left Hand Milk Stout
7. Sam Adams Oktoberfest
8. Bass Ale
9. Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA
10. Ale Asylum Madtown Nut Brown

 

[blacklab]

hate to say it but my roommate brought some home, fruity pebbles, two cups in the secondary

ha! maybe their porter uses count chocula!

1. Mirror Pond, Deschutes Brewing

my fave by a mile. I used to live in the town where the brewery is...best place ever.

 

[Hopleaf]

1. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
2. SNPA
3. Sierra Nevada Porter
4. Maudite
5. Stone IPA
6. Ommegang
7. Three Floyd's Alpha King (when i can get it)
8. Three Floyd's Robert the Bruce (when i can get it)
9. Bell's Oberon (when I can get it)
10. Red Hook ESB

 

[Vels]

5 Ølfabrikken Porter

Do you gat that over there or did you get it over here ?

Cheers
Jakob

 

[McKBrew]

Some of my favorites:

Dogfish Head 90 min IPA
North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
Widmer Hefeweizen
Descheutes Black Butte Porter
Alaskan Smoked Porter
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine
Kona Longboard Lager

and a recent addition (I've tried so many beers, but never had this common one until Superbowl Sunday)

New Belgium Fat Tire (I really like this beer, wish I would have tried it sooner)

 

[c.n.budz]

My favorites? Anything brewed in a Trappist Monastery.

 

[jester22151]

1. SHINER BOCK
2. ARROGANT BASTARD ALE
3. i KNOW IT'S WEIRD BUT i LIKE MICHELOBE LIGHT
4. KILLIANS iRISH RED
5. TECATE
6.PETES WICKED ALE
7. WOODCHUCK ALE
8.BASS
9. HARP
10. SAMUEL ADAMS IRISH RED

WORST WOULD HAVE TO BE PEARL LIGHT IN A CAN. JUST 68 CALORIS PER BEER AND IT USED TO BE $6.48 FOR A SUIT CASE

 

[mot]

in no order

surly bender
surly furious
surly Two
Surly Darkness
Bells Hopslam
Bells two hearted
Bells Java Stout
Guiness
Stone IPA
Surly Surlyfest
Bells Expidition Stout
Rogue Chipotle Ale
Sierra nevada Christmas ale

 

[chadley]

Almost too many to list when I actually start thhinking about it but overall pretty partial to local Micigan micros.

1. Darkhorse Crooked Tree IPA
2. Darkhorse Scotty Karate
3. Founders kentucky Breakfast Stout
4. Short's Huma Lupa Liscious
5. Stone IPA
6. Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
7. Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold
8. Ann Arbor Brewing Olde 22

 

[jmulligan]

Since I only started really liking beer within the past 6 months, I imagine I'm a bit behind. But so far...

1. Clipper City Below Decks
2. Dogfish Head 120 min (when I can find it!)
3. Ommegang Three Philosophers
4. Sam Adams Honey Porter
5. DuClaw Euphoria (ok, not in bottles, but go to the brewpub)

EDIT: Had DFH World Wide Stout last night. HOLY CRAP!

 

[Chriso]

4. Sam Adams Honey Porter

I forget about that stuff, it's fantastic!!! Definitely something for me to clone someday.

 

[jmulligan]

I forget about that stuff, it's fantastic!!! Definitely something for me to clone someday.

Happy to remind you!

 

[Jim Karr]

Celis Grand Cru

 

[Jim Karr]

Celis Grand Cru

I had it on tap at Michigan Brewing........WOW

 

[beta pleated sheet]

1. Chimay (blue label)
2. Sam Adam's imperial pilsner
3. Chimay (red label)
4. Sierra Nevada celebration
5. Anchor Steam
6. That Grand Cru that I don't remember the name...kicking myself
7. Northamption brewery's oatmeal stout
8. Anchor Christmas ale (this past year's is the only one I've had)
9. Three philosophers
10. Guinness

 

[|-|edghog]

Everyone has mentioned pretty well everything else but I was wondering if anyone has tried Sleeman's Special Edition IPA.

|-|edgehog

 

[CurtFlood]

Everyone has mentioned pretty well everything else but I was wondering if anyone has tried Sleeman's Special Edition IPA.

|-|edgehog

I've tried a lot of Sleeman brews, but I can't say I've ever seen the Special Edition IPA. Any idea what makes it special?

 

[CurtFlood]

hate to say it but my roommate brought some home, fruity pebbles, two cups in the secondary

Ha! I'm drinking fruity pebbles...I mean sunset wheat right now...it's definitely a beer that I will keep on tap throughout the year (once my kegerator is done!). It's also a great beer to smuggle onto golf courses during the hot summer months.

 

[jacobyhale]

I feel like my list is pretty generic, but it's what I like.

1-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Rogue Dead Guy Ale
2-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Deschutes Obsidian Stout
3-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout
4-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar
5-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Anything Chimary
6-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Sam Adams Octoberfest
7-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve
8-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Sam Adams Boston Lager….duh
9-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Franziskaner Hefe
10-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Alaskan Amber



I too am surprised that anyone mentioned Grolsch, but I guess someone has to like it or it wouldn't be sold everywhere.

 

[LS_Grimmy]

I tried Samuel Adams Boston Lager for the first time and my eyeballs got all misty it was so good!

1. Samuel Adams Boston Lager

 

[LS_Grimmy]

Everyone has mentioned pretty well everything else but I was wondering if anyone has tried Sleeman's Special Edition IPA.

|-|edgehog

If tried Sleemans IPA but not sure if it was a special edition. It was pretty good but Samual Adams still wins my heart over

 

[mullimat]

Trappistes Rochefort 10!!!!
Rogue Hazelnut Brown (especially on tap)
DFH Midas Touch
St. Bernardus Abt 12 (the 60th anniversary was incredible!)
DFH World Wide Stout
DFH 120 minute IPA
Sam Adams Winter Brew
Sam Adams Double Bock
Tucher Hefe or Dunkel
Orval
Guinness
Heineken (fresh from the factory)

 

[niquejim]

I went through every post so I would have time to think about this,
so this week my favorites would be, in no order


Roddenbach/Duchesse
Scherlenlanka(sp) marzen rauchbier
Fullers ESB
SNCA
Dead Guy
Scheinder Hefe
Traquair House
Fullers London Pride
Flying Dog Big Gonzo Porter
Two hearted

 

[bperlmu]

i agree with most of these, a few of my greatests hits that I dont think have been mentioned:
rogue brutal bitter
black sheep riggwelter
clipper city loose cannon (best IPA imho)
black hawk stout
schmitts gay
.......and the beer that i am most head over heals with right now:
Unibroue 15. not made anymore but a few bottles can still be found....if you are lucky. i have two 750s left and I intend to cherish them!